Traveling conveyer.



PATENTED SEPT. 22, 1903.

E. .BALTZLBY. TRAVELING CONVEYER.

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v WASHING No. 739,574. PATENTED SEPT. 22, 1903.

B. BALTZLEY. TRAVELING GONVEYER.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 3, 1903.

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PATENTBD SEPT. 22, 1903.

E. BALTZLEY. TRAVELING GONVEYER.

APPLICATION rum) JULY a, 1903,

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witnesses UNITED STAT S Patented September 22, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

TRAVELING CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,574, dated September 22, 1903.

Application filed July 3, 1903. fierial No. 164,109. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN BALIZLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Washington, in the District of Columbia, I

have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Traveling Conveyors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to escalators and similar traveling conveyors of that type in which a series of steps or treads forming or connected to an endless belt is propelled continuously in a predetermined path in such manner that a person standing on one of the tread-surfaces will be carried thereby from one point to another without effort on his part.

My present improvements are primarily intended to facilitate the safe landing of passengers from the traveling structure and are herein shown and described as applied to an escalator in which the treadsurfaces are grated and are arranged to interleave with a stationary grated landing at the point where passengers are landed and in which the horizontal speed of the grated tread-surfaces is reduced just before they disappear through the landing for the purpose of diminishing the shock and change of motion imparted to the passengers, such an escalator being described and claimed in another application for Letters Patent filed by me onthe 3d day of July,1903, Serial No. 164,108. It is to be understood, however, that my present improvements are not necessarily limited to such an escalator, but are capable of wider application and use and are susceptible of various modifications in structure and general arrangement.

According to my present invention I pro vide means whereby each tread-surface of the traveling conveyor is caused to incline forwardly and downwardly at what I term a safe unloading angle just before it disappears beneath the stationary landing, so that a passenger standing on the tread is slightly tilted forwardly and receives an impulse or suggestion whichimpels him to step naturally onto the landing in a forward direction, thus efiecting his removal from the moving tread and causing him to make way for succeeding passengers with little or no voluntary efiort on his part. It is ordinarily desirableto land the passenger immediately after he reaches the floor-level of an escalator, for that is the psychologic instant for landing,and the passenger naturally follows the sequential movements of a finished ride on the incline by stepping off the escalator and walking away inthe forward direction open to him. If the act of landing is delayed beyond this point, an act of decision is involved in determining when to get ed the moving tread, which is more or less confusing, especially when the escalator is crowded with passengers. By my invention the proper instant for landing is determined for the passenger and suggested to him, and this may be done at any desired point; but-I prefer to impart this landing impulse as soon as the floor-level is reached, because in such case it coincides with and is assisted by the natural inclination of the passenger to leave the moving tread. My present improvements also include certain constructional features and details, hereinafter described.

An escalator embodying myimprovements in their preferred form is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which are largely diagrammatic incharacter and are not intended to represent the exact details of commercial construction.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the moving parts at the upper end of the escalator, together with the stationary upper landing. Fig. 2 is a similar view, on a smaller scale, showing the landing and the guideways for the moving steps. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but illustrating the lower end of a descending escalator and the adjacent landing; and Fig. i is an elevation of the corresponding guideways. Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the guideways at one side of the escalator, showing also the relation of the moving steps thereto and to the upper landing. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of an interleaving segment of a step. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the 1 hold the steps in proper relation.

a grated landing, and Fig. 12 is a section on the line :1; co in Fig. 11. p

In its general structure and arrangement the-escalator shown in the drawings is like one of the structuresshown and described in my application for' Letters Patent above referred to except in so far as modifications are introduced by my present improvements and comprises a number of steps or tread-sections 2, each of which is pivotally connected to an endless belt composed of pivotally-connected links 3, so that the steps provide in their operation an endless series of tread-surfaces.

This belt preferably consists of two or more chains of links, so that if a link in one chain breaks the remaining chain or chains will Theendless series of links and stepspasses over two sprocket-wheels located, respectively, at the upper and lower ends of the escalator and is driven by power applied to one or both of the sprocket-wheels in any suitable manner. In Fig. 1 of the drawings the upper sprocketwheel 4 is shown as the driving-wheel, being provided with spurs or teeth 5, each adapted to enter a socket'6, cut in each of the links when driving the endless belt in one direction and to enter the mortises 7 in said links when driving the belt in the opposite direction. Fig. 1 of the drawings shows the upper end of an ascending escalator, and Fig. 3 shows the lower end of adescending escalator, the lower sprocket-wheel being represented at 8.

The construction and arrangement of the taking-on landings are not material to my present improvements, and hence these landings are not illustrated, their general arrangement being well understood.

Each of the steps 2 is so connected to the endless belt that it is capable of independent pivotal movement sufficient to enable itto assume various angles with respect to the path of the belt, and thus to follow guides or guideways for maintaining the tread-surfaces in the desired position. In the drawings the shorter side of each step is shown as pivoted near its bottom to two adjacent links at the point where the latter are pivoted together by means of an axis 9, extending from one end of the step to the other and secured thereto, the links being located between the downwardly-extending ends of the steps.

The tread-surfaces of-the several steps are grated, as shown in Figs. 5, 8, and 9,and near the upper end of the ascending escalator is located a grated landing 10, adapted to interleave with the grated steps successively. A similar grated landing 11 is located near the lower end of the descending escalator. The steps 2 are guided in their travel, and their treadsurfaces are kept level between the landings bymeans of guideways 12 and 13, in which travel autifriction-rollers 14 and 15, journaled on the ends of each step near its front and rear sides, respectively. In Fig. 8 these rollers are shown as journaled on axes extending from end to end of the steps, one of these axes being the axis 9, above referred to, and in this case each link 3 is provided with a recess 16 to receive the axis at the free side of the corresponding step and provide for the required pivotal movement thereof. In Fig. 9 the axes of the rollers 15 at the free side of the step are secured to the ends of the step, thus leaving a free space between said ends sufficient to provide for the pivotal movements above referred to. The guideways 12 and 13 are located outside of the vertical plane of the ends of the steps, as shown in Fig. 5, and one of them, as 13, is contained within the boundaries of the other, being narrower than the latter and extending farther inward. These guideways coincide with each other in direction on the ascending or descending incline; but at the ends of the incline these guideways diverge, as hereinafter described.

The path of the steps as they reach the landing toward which they are moving is such that the grated treads enter the landing at a distance above the surface of the latter and subsequently pass down through the same, so that a passenger is automatically deposited on the landing without previous contact of his feet therewith, and shortly before a tread surface reaches the plane of the surface of the landing said tread-surface is caused to tilt forwardly and downwardly to a safe unloading angle. This inclination of the treadsurface gives notice to the passenger that the time oflanding has arrived andimparts to him a physical impulse, as well as a suggestion, to step forward from the tread upon the landing, and he is thus impelled to remove himself from the path of the next succeeding step and out of the way of any passenger who may be thereon. In case the passenger fails to step from the inclined tread-surface he is immediately deposited involuntarily upon the landing, and the step is preferably made to return to its normal horizontal position just before it disappears through the surface of the landing in order to cause the entire bottom surface of the feet of the passenger to come in contact with the landing at the same instant in case he has not previously stepped 0d the moving tread-surface. are accomplished according to the constructions shown in the drawings by causing the guideways 12 and 13 to diverge when a landing is reached in such manner as to impart the desired angle to the tread-su rface of each step shortly before it passes down through the landing.

The sprocket-wheels at and 8 are shown as six-spoke sprocket-wheels,the spokes of which are separated at their extremities by a distance equal to the depth of a step along a line joining its journal-centers, and such a sprocket-wheel is well suited to take up the successive steps and become their guide as they reach the top of the ascending incline and tilt their tread-surfaces to the proper un- These results re ent loading angle as they pass successively over the top of the sprocket-wheel, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. As soon as this dotted-1ine position has been reached by a step the guideway 13 diverges from its com panion guideway, as at- 17, Fig. 1, and draws the free side of the step downward at a rate just sufficient to restore its treadsurface to the hori zontal position just beforeit passes down ward through the surface of the landing, and said guideway 13 then continues in a path sub stantially concentric with the axis of the sprocket-wheel, and finally merges into its lower or return portion between the upper and lower sprocket-wheels. At the lower end of the descending escalator the tilting of the steps is accomplished, as illustrated in Fig. 3,

by causing the inner guideway 13 to diverge outwardly from the circumference of the sprocket-wheel 8, as at 18, and then to return to the sprocket-Wheel along a downwardlyextending path 19. With the construction shown in Fig. 3 the tread-surfaces are not restored to the horizontal position prior to passing through the landing after having been tilted.

I do not limit myself to the employment of a six-spoke sprocket-wheel for tilting the steps to the proper unloading angle, as the same result may be secured by various other means; but when such wheels are employed it is not essential that there should be any guideway for the journaled sides of the steps from the point at which they are engaged by the wheel onto the sprocket-wheel at the other end of the escalator, because at this point the sprocket-wheel itself takes up the belt and the journaled sides of the steps and becomes agnide therefor, and the outer guide way 12 may be widened at this point to free it from all frictional contact with the rollers carried by the steps; but in practice I prefer to make the guideways continuously operative, 'so as to control the steps thereby throughout their travel. The inner guideways especially should be continuously operative throughout the path of the belt for the purpose of preventing the rollers 14 from getting into them. To this end also the rollers 14: are preferably made somewhat larger than the rollers 15.

The forward upper corners of the steps are shown in Fig. 1 as beveled, as at 20, in order to provide against any possible danger of an advancing step striking the heel of apassenger after he has landed in case he has failed to walk forward out of its path. This bevel is suflicien't to pass under the heel of a passenger and lift his foot by a wedging action until the step has disappeared beneath the grating.

The constructions above described not only provide for tilting the successive tread-surfaces just before the instant for landing is reached, but also serve to reduce the horizontal speed of said tread-surfaces prior to landing a passenger ,-as fully described in my other application previously referred to, thus providing for the safe and gentle landing of the passenger without subjecting him to an excessive and confusing change of motion, and my presentimprovements are preferably, though not necessarily, combined and employed'in connection with the feature just 25 represents another rib stamped'in the parts 21 and 22, but of less depth than the ribs 23, the function of the ribs 25 being to bite into the tread-piece 24 and hold it in place. These interleaving segments are suitably spaced apart by bars :26, and the parts of the step are bound together by tie-rods 27.

. Figs. 11 and 12 show a preferred construction of a grated landing in which the bars 28 of the landing are recessed on the upper sides to receive tread-pieces 29, which may be held in place by crimping the sides of the bars inwardly against them, as at 30.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with aseries of treads forming an endless belt, and means for propelling the same, of a landing, and means for tiltingeach tread-surface to a safe unloading angle just befgre it passes beneath said landing. v

2. The combination with a series of grated treads forming an endless belt, and means for propelling the same, of a grated landing adapted to interleave'with the grated treads successively, and means for tilting each treadsurface to a safe unloading angle while interleaved with said landing.

3. The combination with a series of grated treads forming an endless belt, and means for propelling the same, of a grated landing,v

means for causing said treads to interleave forming an endless'belt, and meansfor propelling the same, of a landing, means for tilting each trend-surface successively to a safe with the landing with their tread-surfaces unloading angle at a point adjacent to said 7 landing, and means for subsequently restoring said tread-surface to ahorizontal position prior to its passing beneath the landing.

5. The combination with a series of grated treads forming an endless belt,and means for propelling the same, of a grated landing adapted tointerleave with said treads successively, means for tilting each tread-surface to a safe unloading angle While interleaved with the landing, and means for subsequently restoring said surface to a horizontal position prior to its disappearance through the landing.

6. The combination with a series of steps forming an endless belt, and means for propelling the same up an incline, of a landing located adjacent to the upper end of the incline, and a six-toothed sprocket-wheel arranged to take up said steps successively at the upper end of said incline and carry them to the'landing position.

7. The combination with a series of steps forming an endless belt and inclined guideways therefor, of a landing located adjacent to the upper end of theincline, and a sprocketwheel so related to said incline that said belt is first engaged by the sprocket-wheel when the ends of the two uppermost arms thereof are in the same horizontal plane.

8. The combination with aseries of grated treads forming an endless belt, and means for propelling the same,of a grated landing adapted to interleave with the grated treads successively, and guides for said treads, said guides being formed to tilt'each tread-surface to a safe unloading angle and subsequently to withdrawit through said landing.

9. The combinationwith a series of grated steps forming an endless belt, and means for propelling the same up an incline, of a grated landing located adjacent to the upper end of the incline and adapted to interleave with said grated steps, and a sprocket-wheel carrying said belt and located beneath said landing, said sprocket-wheel being composed of six spokes separated at their outer ends bya distance substantially equal to the depth of a step along a line joining its journal centers.

10. In an escalator, the combination with a series of grated steps forming an endless belt, and means for operating the same, of a grated receiving-landing located at the immediate upper delivery end of the incline and arranged to interleave with said steps successively, said grated steps having a'descending anddisappearing movement beneath thelanding, independent of the direction of movement of the endless belt.

11. In a traveling conveyer, the combination of an endless belt composed of connected links, each link being provided with a recess 16, and a series of steps each pivoted at one side to the connected ends of adjacent links.

12. In a traveling conveyer, the combination with an endless belt, of a series of steps each pivoted at its rear side to said belt,with

reference to the direction of its movement, and having its forward end free.

'13. A step for a traveling conveyer, comprising spaced segments each composed of box-likeside pieces secured together and provided with ribs, and a tread-piece held between said side pieces at their upper ends an supported by said ribs. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this lst'day of July, 1903.

EDWIN BALTZLEY.

WVitnesses: v

E. D. CHADwIoK, JOSEPHINE H. RYAN. 

